The relationship between alexithymia and clinical features in rhinoplasty patients.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of alexithymia in rhinoplasty patients before and after surgery, and to increase the value of alexithymia analysis. The study also aimed to evaluate self-esteem and rhinoplasty outcome scores together. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients who had undergone rhinoplasty were enrolled in the study, and they were grouped according to gender, marital status, working status, indication (functional or aesthetic), and type of surgery (primary or revision). Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE), and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) surveys were used to assess their relationship with alexithymia. RESULTS: We observed significantly higher alexithymia and lower self-esteem scores in females, widows, those with aesthetic indication, those who required revision surgery, and those who had never worked, and a significant correlation was observed except for marital status (p<0.05). After the surgery, significant improvement was found in TAS-20 and RSES according to preoperative scores (p<0.05). There was a significant inverse correlation between TAS-20 and ROE scores, while a positive correlation was observed between RSES and ROE scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate alexithymia changes in rhinoplasty candidates. TAS-20 can be considered as a useful survey to assess psychological distress in rhinoplasty candidates.

The Efficacy of Electro-Acupuncture Added to Standard Therapy in the Management of Bell Palsy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the comparative efficacy of electro-acupuncture when added to standard therapy in patients with Bell palsy in terms of clinical and neurophysiologic outcomes. METHODS: A total of 88 patients with Bell palsy who received standard treatment (ST group; n = 40, mean ± standard deviation age: 39.2 ±â€Š6.6 years, 60.0% were males) or standard treatment plus electro-acupuncture (ST-EA group; n = 48, mean ±â€Šstandard deviation age: 39.5 ±â€Š6.9 years, 58.3% were males) were included. Data on patient demographics, symptoms, comorbidities, and 3-month outcomes on treatment response assessed via House-Brackmann grading system and facial nerve recovery profile and electromyography were recorded. RESULTS: Application of ST-EA versus ST was associated with a significantly higher rate of normal nerve function on 12th week electromyography (66.7% versus 25.0%, P = 0.020), higher frequency of patients with House-Brackmann grade ≤2 in the 3rd week (79.2% versus 45.0%, P = 0.029), 6th week (87.5% versus 45.0%, P = 0.004), and 12th week (95.8% versus 50.0%, P = 0.001), and those with facial nerve recovery profile scores ≥8 in the 6th week (83.3% versus 45.0%, P = 0.011) and 12th week (87.5% versus 50.0%, P = 0.009) of treatment. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our findings in patients with Bell palsy revealed superiority of electro-acupuncture added to standard therapy over standard therapy alone in terms of improvement of nerve dysfunction, decrease in paralysis severity, and better functional recovery. This seems to indicate the likelihood of electro-acupuncture to be a safe and promising adjunct in the achievement of more satisfactory clinical outcomes in the management of Bell palsy when used in combination with standard medical and physiotherapy.

Tick-bite-Induced Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Peripheral Facial Palsy.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) and facial paralysis are 2 important otolaryngology emergencies and diagnosing the etiology is very crucial to determine the treatment strategy. Cerebellopontin angle tumors and herpes simplex infections may lead to these situations simultaneously. Also, neurodegerative and systemic infection diseases can affect the cranial nerves VII and VII together. In this article, a patient is presented who had SSHL and facial palsy that occurred after tick bite.

Curcumin enhances cisplatin-induced human laryngeal squamous cancer cell death through activation of TRPM2 channel and mitochondrial oxidative stress.

In this study, laryngeal tumor cells were killed through the production of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ influx by cisplatin (CISP). Nevertheless, a resistance was determined against CISP treatment in the tumor cells. We have investigated the stimulating role of curcumin (CURC) on CISP-induced human laryngeal squamous cancer (Hep2) cell death through TRPM2 channel activation, and its protective role against the adverse effects of CISP in normal kidney (MPK) cells. Hep2 and MPK cells were divided into four groups as control group, CURC group (10µM for 24 hrs), CISP group (25 µM for 24 hrs), and CURC + CISP combination group. CISP-induced decrease of cell viability, cell count, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione level in Hep2 cells were further increased by CURC treatment, but the CISP-induced normal MPK cell death was reduced by the treatment. CISP-induced increase of apoptosis, Ca2+ fluorescence intensity, TRPM2 expression and current densities through the increase of lipid peroxidation, intracellular and mitochondrial oxidative stress were stimulated by CURC treatment. In conclusion, CISP-induced increases in mitochondrial ROS and cell death levels in Hep2 cells were further enhanced through the increase of TRPM2 activation with the effect of CURC treatment. CISP-induced drug resistance in Hep2 cells might be reduced by CURC treatment.

Clinical and Radiological Comparison of Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma, Hyaluronic Acid, and Corticosteroid Injections on Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis.

There are few studies in the literature that comparatively evaluate the use of intra-articular orticosteroids (CS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In this study, the authors aimed to compare the clinical results of intra-articular CS, HA, and PRP injections in patients who presented to the authors' clinic with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and clinically diagnosed with TMJ-osteoarthritis. Patients were evaluated in 2 groups as those patients who felt pain on lateral (n = 31), and posterior (n = 43) palpation. Patients who were evaluated in the study were randomly assigned to 3 different treatment groups as Group 1 (PRP), Group 2 (HA), and Group 3 (CS). Pain felt on the TMJ on lateral and posterior palpation was assessed before treatment and every month for 3 months using a 5-point pain scale. Presence of crepitation, loss of function, and loss of strength were assessed before treatment and every month for 3 months. Significant changes were observed in the PRP and HA groups when the patients were evaluated according to the VAS scores evaluated at different follow-up times for TMJ pain on lateral palpation. Significant changes were observed in the PRP, HA, and CS groups when VAS scores were evaluated according to the patients' follow-up times for TMJ pain on lateral palpation. In conclusion, the findings of this study have shown that intra-articular PRP injections decreased TMJ palpation pain more effectively compared with the HA and CS groups.

Evaluation of the effects of open and closed rhinoplasty on the psychosocial stress level and quality of life of rhinoplasty patients.

AIM: To investigate patient-reported functional and aesthetic outcomes and psycho-social distress levels in patients undergoing rhinoplasty with regard to technique, type, and indications of surgery. METHODS: A total of 90 patients (mean(SD) age: 27.4(6.5) years, 64.4% females) undergoing rhinoplasty were included prospectively. Data of Nasal Symptom Obstruction Evaluation (NOSE) scale for the functional outcome, the rhinoplasty outcome evaluation (ROE) scale for the esthetic outcome, and the Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS-24) for psychosocial outcomes were recorded preoperatively and in the postoperative 1st, 3rd, and 6th month. RESULTS: No significant difference was noted in ROE or NOSE scores with regard to technique (open vs. closed), type (primary vs. secondary), and indication (functional vs. cosmetic) of rhinoplasty during study visits. Open vs. closed surgery, secondary vs. primary rhinoplasty, and cosmetic vs. functional indication for rhinoplasty were associated with significantly higher DAS-24 scores at the preoperative visit (p < 0.001 for each) and postoperative 1st (p < 0.001 for each) and 3rd month (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.01, respectively) visits. NOSE, ROE, and DAS-24 scores significantly decreased from the preoperative to the postoperative period and from 1st month to 3rd and 6th months of postoperative follow-up in all patients, regardless of the rhinoplasty subgroup (p < 0.001 for each). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our findings revealed favorable postoperative functional and esthetic outcome and improved psycho-social distress in patients undergoing rhinoplasty, with significantly improved NOSE, ROE, and DAS-24 scores after rhinoplasty during the entire 6-month follow-up, regardless of the technique (open vs. closed), type (primary vs. revision), and indication (cosmetic vs. functional) of rhinoplasty. Closed rhinoplasty may be a more preferable method because of less psycho-social distress.

The impact of platelet-rich plasma therapy on short-term postoperative outcomes of pediatric tonsillectomy patients.

INTRODUCTION: To compare the short-term outcomes of pediatric patients who underwent tonsillectomy alone vs. tonsillectomy plus platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy in terms of postoperative pain, appetite status, analgesia requirement, and bleeding complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included a total of 80 pediatric tonsillectomy patients (53.8% female, 46.2% male, aged 4-16 years), who were randomly allocated into tonsillectomy alone (TA group; n = 40) and tonsillectomy plus PRP therapy (TPRP group, n = 40) groups. Patient demographic data (age, gender) and postoperative data of visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores (postoperative 2nd hour, 1-10 days), appetite scores (postoperative 1-7 days), and analgesia requirement (postoperative 1-10 days) and bleeding complications were recorded. RESULTS: A significant gradual decrease was noted in pain scores starting from the 3rd postoperative day reaching 0.0 ± 0.0 and 0.50 ± 0.88 on Day 10 in the TPRP and TA groups, respectively (p < 0.001 for each). Compared to the TA group, the TPRP group was associated with significantly lower pain scores (Day 1 to Day 10), better appetite scores (Day 1 to Day 6), a lower requirement for analgesia (Day1 to Day 10) and fewer common bleeding complications (1 vs. 4 patients) in the postoperative period (p < 0.001 for each). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study of pediatric tonsillectomy patients revealed the superiority of tonsillectomy with PRP over tonsillectomy alone in terms of effectiveness in reducing post-tonsillectomy pain and improving appetite status, together with a lower requirement for analgesia and a reduced risk of post-tonsillectomy bleeding during the first 10 postoperative days.